Jersey Boys – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

Book: Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice

Music: Bob Gaudio

Lyrics: Bob Crewe

Director: Des McAnuff

Twenty years into its life, Jersey Boys still knows how to send an audience home smiling. The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons comes packed with arguments, dodgy decisions, money troubles and bruised friendships, but it is the music that really lifts the roof at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford.

Luke Baker is superb as Frankie Valli, despite only really having the height in common. He handles the demanding vocals with confidence, without turning the role into an impersonation. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You is the standout moment of the night, earning one of the biggest reactions from the audience, while Fallen Angel reveals a gentler, more vulnerable side to his performance. Baker also captures the passing years convincingly, showing how the pressures of success gradually weigh on Frankie.

The other three Seasons are equally impressive. Carlo Boumouglbay makes Tommy DeVito entertaining, persuasive and deeply frustrating, often all at once. Toby Miles gives Bob Gaudio an easy intelligence, with Cry for Me providing an early musical highlight. Lewis Kennedy is wonderfully dry as Nick Massi and gets some of the evening’s best laughs, particularly when Nick finally loses patience with Tommy. Together, the four actors feel properly connected, and their vocals blend beautifully.

The familiar numbers keep coming, including Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, Beggin’ and December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night). The musicians, under the direction of Lauren Ronan, give them all plenty of punch, and the production is at its most enjoyable when it embraces the excitement of seeing The Four Seasons perform. Sergio Trujillo’s choreography is precise and perfectly matched to the group’s recognisable stage manner, and the costumes (designed by Jess Goldstein) neatly carry the story through the decades.

The opening section throws a lot of names and incidents at us, while some of the later personal losses pass before they have fully registered. This is a tight, slick, well-rehearsed show, but it doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch, feeling almost like it holds emotions at arm’s length in favour of throwing in the next song from The Four Seasons extensive back catalogue.

That small emotional gap keeps the production from landing with your reviewer quite as it should, but there is still a great deal to enjoy. With a first-rate central quartet, sharp humour and a songbook that barely gives the audience time to recover between favourites, this anniversary tour proves Jersey Boys remains a cracking night out.

Runs until 1st August 2026, before continuing on tour